16 -year-old Gretchen takes photographs to understand the world around her, a passion her mother Mona fostered and encouraged when she was still around. Since her mom disappeared years ago, Gretchen and her dad have lived on their own in New York City, haunted by Mona’s absence.
When Gretchen’s great aunt Esther calls unexpectedly to tell her that she has inherited the pre-Civil War mansion on her mother’s side of the family in upstate New York, Gretchen understands nothing except that her aunt needs her help. But what she finds there is beyond her imagination. The house is crumbling apart, filled with stacks of papers and journals from decades, even centuries past, and it’s crawling with rodents. It’s also full of secrets and a legacy of racism and violence so reprehensible that the ghosts of the past are exacting revenge on the living.
Somehow the mystery of Mona’s disappearance and the atrocities that happened on the land during the Civil War are inextricably intertwined, and it’s up to Gretchen to figure out how…before even more lives are lost.

First Line

Her Mother had said the house was built by ancestors.

What I thought of this book

So a couple of bloggers know I was having a problem getting into this book. I loved the blurb and it sounded like a great book. The beginning was sooooo slow, but I thought I would stick with it because I recently read another slow to start book and it ended up being great.

Well at about 41% something dramatic finally happened and I thought well maybe this is the turn around point for me, but at 54% I still wasn’t really into this book. It had been a week and I didn’t care if I read it or not. After talking to someone else who put it down as well I don’t feel so bad about doing so. I really hate DNFing and I haven’t done that many this year.

I think it had the potential to be a great ghost story, but:

How could the MC just pick up and go to her aunts house that she didn’t even know. At least without knowing more information.

Then you get to said house and complain about the state the house is in. (maybe you should have researched that fact a bit.)

We go for half a book without really knowing what the heck is going on! Why does her family have to deal with this house, and the tragedy surrounding it? Why do they have to take pictures?

And well I just wasn’t a fan of the MC, she didn’t make me feel sorry for her or feel anything for her. I just didn’t care.

So sadly I just had to put it aside because I have way to many books to read to struggle with one that doesn’t evoke some sort of emotion in me.

6 Responses to “A DNF report :( ~What the Dead Want”

That’s too bad. This looked like it had a lot of potential. I love a good ghost story! But there do seem to be a lot of things that would drive me crazy. I like to know some reasons or at least have the main characters behave like they have a brain. I think I’ll pass on this one as well.

Stormi

Yeah, it sounded so good and I have seen some mixed reviews from those who loved it and those who didn’t so I guess it just depends on the person. 🙂 I just know I have no desire to find out what happened and don’t miss it so I know it wasn’t for me.

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